U.S. Navy

Battleships

From the pre-dreadnought Indiana-class that announced America as a naval power to the Iowa-class fast battleships that ended an empire and were reactivated four decades later, the battleship defined American sea power for half a century. Trace the evolution from coal-fired turret ships to 57,000-ton warships capable of hurling 2,700-pound shells over 23 miles.

Pre-Dreadnought 1895 – 1908

Pre-Dreadnought Battleships

America's first true battleships. USS Oregon's 14,000-mile sprint around Cape Horn to fight at Santiago proved the need for the Panama Canal. Read more

Explore Collection

Kearsarge-Class

Pre-Dreadnought Battleships

Distinguished by stacked turrets — 8-inch guns mounted atop the 13-inch mounts — a novel arrangement that proved impractical but sailed with the Great White Fleet. Read more

Explore Collection

Pre-Dreadnought Battleships

Improved armor scheme over the Kearsarges. All three served in the Atlantic Fleet during the early years of American naval expansion before transitioning to training roles. Read more

Explore Collection

BB-10 – BB-12

Pre-Dreadnought Battleships

Not the armored cruiser whose destruction sparked the Spanish-American War. A significant jump in displacement with 12-inch guns in twin turrets fore and aft. Read more

Explore Collection

BB-13 – BB-17

Pre-Dreadnought Battleships

Largest pre-dreadnought class in the fleet. All five circumnavigated the globe with Roosevelt's Great White Fleet in 1907–1909. Read more

Explore Collection

BB-18 – BB-25

Connecticut-Class

Pre-Dreadnought Battleships

Backbone of the Great White Fleet — six battleships that sailed around the world announcing American sea power. By the time they returned, HMS Dreadnought had made them obsolete. Read more

Explore Collection

BB-23 – BB-24

Mississippi-Class

Pre-Dreadnought Battleships

The last American pre-dreadnoughts. Smaller than the Connecticuts due to budget constraints. Both were sold to Greece in 1914 — the only U.S. battleships ever sold to a foreign navy. Read more

Explore Collection

Dreadnought Revolution 1910 – 1914

BB-26 – BB-27

South Carolina-Class

Dreadnought Battleships

America's answer to HMS Dreadnought. First warships to mount superimposed centerline turrets — a layout every battleship after would copy. Read more

Explore Collection

BB-28 – BB-29

Dreadnought Battleships

Ten 12-inch guns in five centerline turrets. USS North Dakota was the first American battleship with steam turbine propulsion. Read more

Explore Collection

BB-30 – BB-31

Dreadnought Battleships

Near-sisters to the Delawares. USS Utah survived to become a target ship sunk at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 — her wreck remains as a memorial alongside Arizona. Read more

Explore Collection

BB-32 – BB-33

Dreadnought Battleships

Twelve 12-inch guns in six turrets. USS Arkansas bombarded Normandy on D-Day, then Iwo Jima and Okinawa, before being expended at the Bikini atomic tests in 1946. Read more

Explore Collection

BB-34 – BB-35

Dreadnought Battleships

First American battleships with 14-inch guns. USS Texas — the last surviving dreadnought on earth — bombarded Normandy, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. Now a museum ship. Read more

Explore Collection

Standard Type 1916 – 1923

BB-36 – BB-37

Standard-Type Battleships

Revolutionized design with three firsts: "all or nothing" armor, triple turrets, and oil-fired boilers. Nevada was the only battleship to get underway at Pearl Harbor. Oklahoma capsized with 429 men trapped inside. Read more

Explore Collection

BB-38 – BB-39

Pennsylvania-Class

Standard-Type Battleships

USS Arizona was sunk at Pearl Harbor, killing 1,177 crew — the single deadliest ship loss that day. Her wreck remains as a memorial. Pennsylvania survived in drydock and fought across the Pacific. Read more

Explore Collection

BB-40 – BB-42

New Mexico-Class

Standard-Type Battleships

First with the distinctive clipper bow. All three were rebuilt in the 1930s and provided devastating shore bombardment from Saipan to Okinawa. Read more

Explore Collection

BB-43 – BB-44

Tennessee-Class

Standard-Type Battleships

Both damaged at Pearl Harbor, rebuilt from the waterline up into virtually new warships. Fought at Surigao Strait — the last battleship-vs-battleship engagement in history. Read more

Explore Collection

BB-45 – BB-48

Standard-Type Battleships

The "Big Seven" — among only seven battleships worldwide with 16-inch guns under the Washington Naval Treaty. West Virginia, sunk at Pearl Harbor, was raised and rebuilt — then fired on the same Japanese fleet that destroyed her four years earlier at Surigao Strait. Read more

Explore Collection

Fast Battleships 1941 – 1944

BB-55 – BB-56

North Carolina-Class

Fast Battleships

First new battleships in nearly 20 years, breaking the treaty moratorium. Fast enough at 28 knots to screen carriers. USS Washington sank the Japanese battleship Kirishima at Guadalcanal — one of the few BB-on-BB duels of the Pacific. Read more

Explore Collection

BB-57 – BB-60

South Dakota-Class

Fast Battleships

Best-protected battleships the Navy ever built. USS South Dakota took 42 hits at Guadalcanal and stayed operational. USS Massachusetts fired the last 16-inch shells in the Atlantic theater. Read more

Explore Collection

BB-61 – BB-64

Fast Battleships

The fastest battleships ever built — 33 knots. USS Missouri hosted the Japanese surrender ending WWII. All four were reactivated in the 1980s with Tomahawk and Harpoon missiles. USS New Jersey fired more rounds than any other battleship in history. Read more

Explore Collection

20

Classes

56

Ships Built

97

Years of Service

16"/50

Largest Guns